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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979132">If By Chance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sappyrj/pseuds/sappyrj'>sappyrj</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unsent Playlist [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I'm sorry for any heartbreaks, M/M, Other, it's kinda complicated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:34:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sappyrj/pseuds/sappyrj</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For Haechan, it always felt like Magic whenever he was with Mark, but he knew darker days were bound to come</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Unsent Playlist [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>If By Chance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I recommend listening to "If By Chance - Ruth B." and "Magic - Coldplay" first, and read or feel the lyrics while you're at it</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Haechan’s life has always been full of butterflies and rainbows, he was always that boy who saw the world full of vivid colors, especially when Mark was in it. He knew darker days were bound to come, but with Mark he felt inevitable; they were always hand in hand through thick and thin, one of their favorite memories has got to be the time they gate-crashed a Coldplay concert; it was a spontaneous decision actually, one night while they were snuggling on the couch they read a random post on Facebook saying the Coldplay concert starts in 5 minutes at that venue 15 minutes away from Mark’s apartment, they looked at each other without saying a word but they both got up at the same time and bolted out to Mark’s car. </p><p>Standing in the middle of the loud crowd, the pair can’t help but smile at each other, still breathing heavily while the adrenaline rushes through their veins, <em>did we really just do something illegal?</em>, Haechan thinks while looking at Mark,<em> yeah, we did</em>, Mark nods, as if he really heard Haechan’s thoughts. </p><p>
 “All right, while we set up for the next set of songs, we prepared a visualizer for one of our favorite songs for you beautiful people, it’s called ‘Magic’ hope you guys enjoy it”, the singer of the band says
</p><p>The lights on stage go dim, and light beats of the drum and the soft strumming of the guitar begins to play, Mark looks around and sees other people close their eyes and smile at themselves feeling the beat of the music, he looks around a bit more and notices how couples begin to hum along while they wrap their arms around their significant other</p><p>
  <em>(Call it magic, call it true<br/>
I call it magic when I’m with you)</em>
</p><p>“Babe, Coldplay’s backstage we have got to see them, that’s got to be the highlight of this night, come on”, Haechan says, as he was about to move with Mark through the crowd, he noticed that Mark was just standing still… staring at him… with a gentle smile on his face.. “What’s wrong?”, Haechan asks, “do you… not wanna go?”</p><p>Mark doesn’t answer, they stare at each other for more than 3 seconds and Haechan swore it felt like an eternity, it got him anxious thinking that maybe Mark suddenly wanted to go home instead, maybe Mark wasn’t having fun, was this a bad idea? When Mark noticed fear in Haechan’s eyes he let out a soft chuckle and pulled the younger boy in his embrace, still staring at him, he lets his right hand free to gently hold Haechan’s chin, “I love you”, he says just loud enough for only the two of them to hear, Haechan’s cheeks turn red and before he could open his mouth to say it back he was met with soft, warm lips, their mouths dancing in sync, predicting every move of the other, and as if by habit Haechan’s hands trail from Mark’s waist, up to his back, until they finally find their place in Mark’s nape and hair</p><p>
  <em>(I don’t, no, I don’t<br/>
Want anybody else but you)</em>
</p><p>With every beat of their hearts heat rises from their chest and spread through their cheeks and mouth, as Haechan catches his breath Mark puts his forehead on the younger’s and puts their lips at a distance far enough to touch yet close enough to feel the slow breaths of the other</p><p>“On second thought, maybe going back to your apartment would be the highlight of the night”, says the younger boy, and without hesitation Mark grabs his hand and they make their way through the crowd</p><p>Faces flushed in red while feeling giddy as they make their way inside Mark’s car, as they begin to drive off the parking lot, Haechan turns to the older boy, his eyes full of sincerity, it makes Mark confused and even if he doesn’t look back he can feel the set of eyes on him, “hm? What is it?”, Mark asks </p><p>“I love you”, Haechan declares, his tone matching how Mark said it awhile ago, just to convey how he loves his boyfriend as much as he loves him</p><p>“And I also love how you made that song special, that’s definitely our song now”.</p><p> </p><p><em>Ah, that night</em>, Haechan smiles at the random thought of the memory especially when that song was playing on the radio right now at the cafe, but the feeling the song gives off definitely feels different now, is it because he feels alone at the cafe? Is it because he sees Mark sitting face to face with a different guy other than him? Is it because it's been 3 years since they broke up? </p><p>
  <em>Oh.... right…. </em>
</p><p>That night was in no doubt one of his best memories, but whenever this song played he still can’t help but be reminded of one his worst. </p><p>It was a year after that Coldplay concert, and they were less than a week away from their 3rd anniversary, they’ve already made reservations at this fancy hotel weeks before but at this moment, surrounded by clothes and pictures on the floor, they might as well cancel the reservation.</p><p>They’ve been too busy with their careers for some time now, Haechan extending the open hours of his cafe as it went viral on Instagram, and Mark, as a talented music producer, has been offered a lot of opportunities by Korea’s Big 3 companies. More time at work meant less time with each other, and less time being together meant being deprived from the physical touch they craved for while their stress from work was on the rise, a now constant battle of misunderstanding and heated emotions. </p><p>They tried to talk it out but when Haechan wanted to talk after work, Mark wasn’t at his apartment even after 12am, and when Mark wanted to talk when the sun came up Haechan had already gone for work. It may or may not have also helped when Haechan decided to pack his things from Mark’s apartment because he began to feel lonely in it. They haven’t been talking for 2 days now, no calls, no texts, nothing… but when they agreed to make time for each other, Haechan knew it would definitely be the last.</p><p>Mark knocks softly on the door of Haechan’s apartment, Haechan had asked Mark to come instead because he knew that most of the fun memories had happened at Mark’s and he did not want to replace the ghost of the good times’ past with a bad one, Haechan reaches for the handle of the door with sweaty palms and as he swung the door open, the sight of the one he loves had shattered his heart into pieces</p><p>
  <em>I’m gonna miss you</em>
</p><p>Mark entered the apartment with eyes glued to the floor, he made his way to the couch and sat at his usual spot,<br/>
“always sitting on the left side of the couch”, Haechan says cautiously with eyes watching how Mark's fidgeting with the ripped part of his jeans
,<br/>
“the cushion is comfier”, they both say simultaneously,<br/>
“yeah..”, and with that Mark lets out an awkward laugh, then they were met with silence, it wasn’t the silence they were used to after they share a kiss, or stare into each others eyes after making love; it was the silence of going deep into your thoughts digging up the right words to say to either save the relationship or end it</p><p>“I uh.. I wanted to say I’m sorry”, the older says with eyes glossed with tears, pupils shaking as if they were hesitant to stare into the soul of the boy in front of him, Haechan couldn’t tell what to feel upon hearing those words, he felt happy and if he were honest he felt Hope slowly mending his heart but.. something wasn’t still quite right… </p><p>“I’m sorry for everything. And I wanted to tell you this before I go to New York, and I didn’t want to leave with a heavy heart an-”</p><p>“wait..”, the older boy was cut off, he was going to continue his speech any way but Haechan’s eyes kept flowing tears out of them, his cheeks were evidently wet but the tears dripping from his face had already formed a puddle on his jeans, </p><p>“you’re going to New York?”, Haechan asked,<br/>
“yeah.. SM offered me to work with-”,<br/>
“and you’re telling me you’re sorry, not just for these past few days, but because you never liked the idea of a long distance relationship and you don’t know how long you’ll be staying there… right?”, Haechan said just slightly above a whisper, Mark doesn’t recall when he had started crying but he does know that he can hear himself choke on his tears, Mark stood up from his usual spot and knelt in front of Haechan, he held Haechan’s hand in his and left a tiny gentle kiss on it, Haechan closed his eyes to find the exact emotions to feel at that moment, but failed to do so when Mark had more to explain,</p><p>“Duckie”, he sobs, “please…. Please, don’t wait for me”</p><p>And with those words, Haechan already knew what Mark was trying to say. Angry, was the emotion he was feeling right now, he wanted to scream, he wanted to shout at Mark, and slap him maybe, but… but how could he do that, when the man he loves is crying on his legs right now. It’s not like Mark cheated on him, it’s just that… he understood that Mark fell out of love </p><p>Haechan cried himself to sleep that night, surrounded by clothes Mark used to wear, and pictures of them or taken by the other, he was supposed to discard them right after Mark left the apartment, but his heavy heart had decided to have one last trip down memory lane at the world that used to have Mark in it</p><p>
  <em>I can’t promise you that, my love, I’m sorry</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Haechan had dated other people within those 3 years of course, and so did Mark, they both knew how the other was doing as sometimes they would have quick “how are you”s in their DMs, after that talk that night, there was an unspoken mutual agreement that there was no reason to hate each other and to only wish the best for them</p><p>When Haechan saw how Mark was already having fun in NYC he thought he also deserved to be happy, and so he convinced himself he had already moved on and started dating other people. He enjoyed every moment with new people, but whenever he felt the joy too much, he can’t help but wonder, <em>would Mark be jealous if he saw me happy right now? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Wha- why’d you change the song?”, Haechan asks and glares at his co-owner and best friend Jaemin who has now changed the song to an upbeat one</p><p>“Because I know what you’re doing, Hyuck, it has got to stop”, Jaemin commands as he emphasizes the ‘p’ at the end of his sentence</p><p>“What are you talking about?”, Haechan laughs in embarrassment, “Hey, lunch time’s over, did you check on our stocks at the back?”</p><p>Jaemin glances at Mark and sighs, “I know you’re trying to get a reaction from him once he hears “your” song”, he says with air quotes to complete the feeling, “because deep down in your heart you want him to suddenly wake up and realize how much he still loves you, and just like magic he comes knocking at your door saying how he regrets leaving and he wants you two to be together again”, Jaemin leans by the counter checking off lists on a clipboard as he waits for Haechan to answer him</p><p>
  <em>Huh, like ‘Magic’, that’s funny, Jaem</em>
</p><p>“Wow, we only have 5 employees but they handle this amount of customers pretty well, don't you think?”, Haechan glances at Jaemin, then helps one of his employees to make 3 drinks, “Nice work, Kyle”, he pats his employee at the back and receives a ‘Thanks, Boss!’</p><p>“You’re ignoring me”, Jaemin pouts at his best friend,</p><p>Haechan glances at Mark and his newfound lover, he assumes, he sighs and moves closer to Jaemin’s ear, “I- I already know what you’re going to say, Jaem, and I don’t wanna talk about this here. Not right now. Not when he just came back from NYC. I don’t…”, he takes a deep breath, “I don’t wanna spoil the atmosphere. I’m sorry I played that song, okay? I don’t know, I guess I subconsciously did it when I received a text from him asking if it’d be okay if he went to grab a drink here”</p><p>Jaemin’s brows suddenly crease into concern, feeling a little bit guilty but more heartbroken for his best friend, “Did he also mention his new friend?”, he asks</p><p>“He did, actually”</p><p>Jaemin saw how Haechan’s eyes began to gloss, so he ushered both of them to sit at the table that’s farthest from where Mark was sitting, “we’re extending lunch break by 10 minutes”, Jaemin says as he settles two cappuccinos on the table</p><p>“They arrived at 11am and uh.. After taking their orders Mark stayed for a while in front of the counter and I thought he needed something else but uhm.. He thanked me… He said he genuinely enjoyed the past years we were together and how he grew and learned a lot from it..”, Haechan explains with silent sniffles and his best friend hums, acknowledging the silent cries, “he also mentioned how thankful he is because we’re both successful in our careers, and how he’s sure we’ll both be happy soon enough with someone we truly love, because…”, he pauses for a moment and looks a little bit over his shoulder, just enough to see the pair laughing, and so he smiles, “because apparently he already found his”</p><p>Jaemin had already formed his speech in his head, but to give his best friend, who is on the verge of breaking down, an earful at this moment, he knew it wasn’t worth it, “Take it easy. I’ll handle the orders and stocks”, Jaemin says as he kisses the top of Haechan’s head and leaves to help out with their employees</p><p>Haechan knows he should be happy for Mark, and he too should be happy because Mark would’ve wanted him to, he doesn’t know when that day would come, but right now all Haechan knows is that his doors are always wide open, hoping for the day Mark comes back into his world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! This was my first work for this fandom, I would love to hear your thoughts about this! I am open for any criticism or suggestions, I would love to chat with you do find me on the bird app <a href="https://twitter.com/byeolpada">Twitter</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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